Crose, Bradley Stephen
Male
Verified U.S. Army Sergeant Bradley Stephen Crose, 27, of Orange Park, Florida, was killed in action on March 4, 2002, during a combat assault on Takur Ghar mountain near Gardez, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Bradley Stephen Crose was a sergeant in the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite special operations unit. The 27-year-old from Orange Park, Florida, was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia.
On March 4, 2002, Crose was part of a Quick Reaction Force inserted onto Takur Ghar, a 10,000-foot mountain peak near Gardez. The mission was to reinforce a team of Navy SEALs who had come under fire. According to military accounts, the MH-47 Chinook helicopter carrying Crose and his team was hit by rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire upon landing. Crose was killed in the ensuing firefight, later known as the Battle of Takur Ghar.
The battle occurred during Operation Anaconda, a major U.S.-led offensive in the Shah-i-Kot Valley aimed at clearing al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation, which began in early March 2002, was part of the larger Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. military response to the September 11 attacks.
Sergeant Crose was one of seven U.S. service members killed in the battle. His body was recovered during the operation. The Department of Defense announced his death on March 5, 2002.
Crose was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device and the Purple Heart. He is memorialized at the Ranger Memorial at Fort Benning, Georgia, and his name is inscribed on the Global War on Terrorism Memorial at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Explore Further
Bradley Crose was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
